Macbook Pro Charging

Can you charge a MacBook Pro 16 with a charge for a MacBook Pro 13? Any negative impact in doing so? If buying a generic charger for the 16, figuring I just need a 96W compatible charger?

Posted on Sep 3, 2021 2:12 PM

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Posted on Sep 3, 2021 2:35 PM

Noyed wrote:

Can you charge a MacBook Pro 16 with a charge for a MacBook Pro 13? Any negative impact in doing so? If buying a generic charger for the 16, figuring I just need a 96W compatible charger?


Yes your Mac can use a lower wattage charger w/ a few caveats— it will charge at a slower rate, and may not be able to keep up under a heavy load.



Find the right power adapter and cable for your Mac notebook ...

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201700


If you are still under warranty— Apple will replace a defective/broken power adapter for your 16" MBP


https://support.apple.com/my-support

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Sep 3, 2021 2:35 PM in response to Noyed

Noyed wrote:

Can you charge a MacBook Pro 16 with a charge for a MacBook Pro 13? Any negative impact in doing so? If buying a generic charger for the 16, figuring I just need a 96W compatible charger?


Yes your Mac can use a lower wattage charger w/ a few caveats— it will charge at a slower rate, and may not be able to keep up under a heavy load.



Find the right power adapter and cable for your Mac notebook ...

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201700


If you are still under warranty— Apple will replace a defective/broken power adapter for your 16" MBP


https://support.apple.com/my-support

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Sep 3, 2021 4:17 PM in response to Noyed

You want to be extremely careful using a non-Apple charger. A charger from OWC or one from another computer manufacturer like Dell would be Ok, but I would avoid most other non-Apple chargers you find online as so many of them are very poorly made and can easily damage a USB-C Apple laptop which then requires a very expensive Apple repair or they may even harm you. Don't cheap out on a charger with your expensive Mac. Saving $40 US may cost you $600 US later to repair the laptop.


Also to clarify what @leroydouglas mentions using a smaller Apple charger will most likely cause the battery to drain while using the laptop, but at a slightly slower rate than running the laptop only on the battery.

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Macbook Pro Charging

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